Despite what you may have heard and despite some of the messages given out by official government health "watchdogs," saturated fat should be contained in your diet and far from being detrimental, should be viewed as highly beneficial. We are told that saturated fat will just clog our arteries and lead to heart disease, which as one of the leading causes of death is enough to scare us all away from buying this product. As it has become trendier to deplore the use of saturated fats, supposedly healthy alternatives have been trumpeted by those advisers. This despite the fact that as a race, humans have been eating diets high in saturated fat for millions of years. Could it be that our evolution in more recent times has led to a significant change in the way that we handle these fats, causing all the negativity that we hear about, or is it that we're just being fed a diet of basic misinformation? The latter seems more appropriate.

Consider the benefits of eating saturated fat in your diet:

Fat is known to be a critical source of fuel and as such, contributory to our daily needs. About 50% of the fat that is in our bodies is made up of saturated fat and going back to the time of our ancestors, was critical for them to survive, as it was converted and stored within their bodies. Saturated fat and unsaturated fats are very different and cooking can be bad for your health unless you know all the risks associated. Consider that polyunsaturated fats can become unstable when they are hot, leading to the creation of free radicals that can in turn lead to damage to our cells. If we rely on polyunsaturated fat, heart disease can result, even though they say it is in fact "good" for our hearts. Monounsaturated fats, in certain doses, can lead to premature aging and cancer, while unsaturated fat alternatives such as corn oil or coco can lead to a deficit when it comes to essential Omega-three fatty acids.

Considering our bone development and structure, saturated fat is vital, mostly due to its calcium content. The vitamins K2 and D, which are essential for our healthy development, can be found in this fat type. Saturated fat is very beneficial for your skin, as well. We know how premature aging can be caused by the sun and how we are all at risk from developing skin cancer, so the benefits of this fat in making our skin cells more resistant, cannot be underestimated.

Saturated fat has been linked to essential stabilization and signaling activities within our bodies, the production of hormones, "padding" around the essential organs such as the heart and even the quality and function of our lung capacity. Some research has shown that trans fats can compromise lung function and lead to asthma.

We have heard much about essential fatty acids and how important they are to our health. They must be consumed through diet and cannot be produced by the body. The proliferation of saturated fats helps to protect essential fatty acids from oxidation and ensures that they are used for optimal effect.